Song of the Inquisition
by ladyinquisitor93
Summary: Lyrica had always been the pride and joy of her family and of her Circle, always playing the obedient child or mage. But everything goes wrong and Lyrica must adapt to the new life she has been thrown and find a way to survive and to cope with the loss of her best friend, the struggle of becoming the Herald, and the confounding Commander she seems to been falling in love with.
1. Chapter 1

_"Lady Trevelyan!"_

 _'What now?'_

 _"Lady Trevelyan!"_

 _Lyrica Trevelyan turned to look at the man running towards her. "What is it, Michael?"_

 _Michael, the young man who had served her and her family for years, looked at her as he tried to catch his breath. "You are needed in the main hall. There is someone here to see you."_

 _Lyrica stood and followed Michael to the main hall of her family's estate. When they reached the hall, Lyrica smiled when she saw who the guest was._

 _"Thea!"_

 _Thea Horne was an old friend of Lyrica's, having been like a sister to her over the years. The Horne family were traders, one of the largest in the Free Marches. She smiled when she saw Lyrica and made to embrace her._

 _"Chickadee! It is good to see you!"_

 _Lyrica rolled her eyes at the nickname and smiled as she hugged her old friend. "What are you doing here?"_

 _"I came to deliver a message from the Divine."_

 _Lyrica raised an eyebrow at her friend. "What message? How do you know the Divine?"_

 _Thea chuckled. "I don't know the Divine personally, but I have a missive for you from Her Most Holy." She produced the scroll and handed it to Lyrica._

 _Lyrica untied the ribbon around the scroll and read through the message. "It's an invitation to the Conclave. The Divine has asked me to represent the Circle of Ostwick."_

* * *

 _"That's the daughter of House Trevelyan."_

 _"What is she doing here?"_

 _"She's a mage... filthy, disgusting creature... Her beauty is nothing more than a trap for those foolish enough to trust her..."_

 _So many things were said about Lyrica Trevelyan as she walked through the streets of Haven, waiting for the Conclave to convene. She browsed the wares, grabbed a drink from the tavern and stood on one of the docks over the lake and looked out over the frozen waters._

 _"This will never end..."_

 _Behind her, she heard the crunch of snow and turned to look to find a handsome, gruff looking man with blonde hair absent mindedly coming onto the dock. When he looked up and saw her there, he stopped and gazed at her._

 _"Oh, I uh, I apologize. I did not realize that anyone was out here." he said, rubbing his neck._

 _Lyrica noticed how he held himself and felt a sense of familiarity rising when she saw his face more clearly and her eyes narrowed a bit._

 _"I will leave you in peace." He said and began turning away._

 _"No, Cullen, it's alright. You can remain here." Lyrica said, taking her mug of hot spiced ale with her as she strode past him. "I will return to the village and leave the brave Commander to his thoughts."_

 _Cullen Rutherford, the former Knight-Captain of the Circle of Kirkwall and the new Commander of the Inquisition's forces, watched as the young woman walked passed him. "Do I know you miss?"_

 _Lyrica stopped and looked back at him. "Oh, forgive me. I would not expect the former Knight-Captain of Kirkwall to recognize one of the mages that came to aid in the reconstruction of the city he once tried to protect." She said sarcastically._

 _Cullen looked closer at her. "I do recognize you... You're Lady Trevelyan, of Ostwick." He scoffed and rolled his eyes. "I should have recognized the poor attitude towards authority sooner."_

 _Lyrica glared at him. "Poor attitude towards authority?" She threw her ale in his face. "Forgive me for standing up for myself and my friends when we were being treated like dogs even after coming to help rebuild the city you and your Templars failed to save from the crazed apostate who started all this chaos!" She turned on her heel and stormed off, feeling the rage boiling within her. "Bloody Templars..."_

 _Cullen took his handkerchief and dried off his face, wiping away the hot alcohol. "Maker..." He looked over as Lyrica disappeared back into the village and sighed. "Why is she here, of all places?"_

* * *

 _Lyrica walked with Thea as they made their way out of the village of Haven and towards the trail leading up to the Temple of Sacred Ashes._

 _"So what happened exactly in Kirkwall?" Thea asked. "What did the Commander do while he was still the Knight-Captain?"_

 _Lyrica sighed. "Cullen Rutherford was ignorant of what my fellow mages and I were trying to do. We were sent by our Grand Enchanter to aid in rebuilding the city and healing the wounded or assist in burying the dead. It did not matter to us if they were mage, Templar, or ordinary citizens. All we wanted to do was to help. Cullen was even the one who send word to the Circle of Ostwick, seeking out our help." She glanced over at him as they passed by the training camp where he and some of his men were practising their techniques. When he looked up, she rolled her eyes and looked away, continuing her conversation with Thea as they passed by him. "When one of the Templars who had survived Meredith's tirade cornered a few of my friends, blaming them for what happened simply because they were mages, I stepped in to help them and tried to get the Templar to back off."_

 _Thea listened as they passed by Cullen, just a few feet away, and her eyes widened when she heard the next part._

 _"The Templar laughed and grabbed at me, pinning me to the wall. He started pulling at my robes and tried to rape me in front of the people I was trying to protect." Lyrica said, keeping her eyes forward. "He thought he could shame me into submission just because he was a Templar and I a mage, but I fought back. I caught him off guard, wounded him with a few close range spells, and that's when Cullen came around the corner. All he saw was me firing a spell at the Templar- his Knight-Lieutenant- and thought it was defiance against the Templar, an act of rebellion just like the mages in the Circle of Kirkwall. We were asked to leave and we did. That's when the Circles were disbanded, mages named rebels or apostates, and that's when I took the mages I could back home until they could find a safer place to live out their lives in freedom."_

 _Thea and Lyrica stopped, looking at each other._

 _"And now you're going to the Conclave to represent the Circle of Ostwick and the mages of the Free Marches." Thea said. "You've come along way, Chickadee. Your parents must be proud."_

 _Lyrica sighed. "I hope so. I have always been the good girl who listened to what she was told. I have always done what I was asked to, what I was taught to, what I could do to be of assistance or to prove that not all mages are evil like the world paints us. Mother and Father would always pamper and protect me, even at the Circle. Now, here I am about to make a true mark on the world, about to do something that would have a significant effect on the future of mages alike, and yet I feel so small, so insignificant."_

 _Thea hugged her friend and smiled. "Just be yourself, Chickadee. The Divine invited you personally to her Conclave which means that she believes in what you do as a person and as a mage. She believes in you to do right by your fellow mages and by the Templars alike. You'll be fine, I promise."_

 _Lyrica hugged her friend back and smiled. "Thanks, Thea." Then the thought that something terrible could happen popped into her head and she looked at her, serious. "Thea, if something does go wrong up there, if I don't come back, tell Mother and Father I love them and that I hope I made them proud."_

 _Thea understood the severity of the situation that Lyrica was going into and nodded. "Of course. You'll make it back in one piece, though, you'll see and then we can share a pint or two of the hot spiced ale you like so much when you get back._

 _Lyrica smiled and hugged her friend one last time before she hurried up the trail head towards the Temple of Sacred Ashes._

 _Thea stood there with her hands behind her head and sighed, looking over as Cullen joined her. "So how much did you hear, Curly?"_

 _Cullen sighed. "Enough to know how big of an ass I was back then."_

 _Thea chuckled and patted him on the arm. "After what had just happened with the Chantry exploding and Meredith going crazy, I wouldn't blame you for being so paranoid about mages. You should have been more objective though, and tried to understand both sides of what happened." She looked at him, then up at the trail. "In as long as I have known Lyrica Trevelyan, she has never once acted out against authority. She knows her place in the world, she knows who she is and what she is, and knows when to respect the proper authorities. But, then again, if you ever hurt her or her loved ones, you will see a wrath unlike none other and she will defy everything to protect herself and those who matter to her. She is quite the firestart, but Chickadee is a smart cookie and knows when to reign it in if she gets out of control."_

 _Cullen watched as she raised a hand in farewell and headed back to where her caravan was set up outside the village gates. Thea Horne was an interesting woman herself, but Lyrica Trevelyan seemed more than what Cullen had ever expected. He looked up at the trail and wondered if she would make it back alright with the tensions as high as they were between mages and Templars._

* * *

 _An explosion sounded and a sudden green light burst through the sky, tearing a hole right into it.  
_

 _Cullen ran outside of the Chantry and stood with dozens of people as they stared up at the sky, seeing the Veil torn right open and sparks of green energy shoots out from the hole. He could feel the pulsing of a strong and powerful magik, one that he did not know, and he knew that something was wrong._

 _He gathered his men and they ran towards the trail leading up to the Temple of Sacred Ashes. They knew the explosion had come from there and he suddenly felt worried and fearful for everyone's safety- the participants, the Divine, Lyrica. 'Lyrica...'_

 _"Cullen!"_

 _He looked over and saw Thea running towards them. "Thea, go back to the village."_

 _"Lyrica is up there!" She retorted, shaking her head. "I can fight, you know I can, but that is my best friend up there and I have to make sure that she's alright!"_

 _Cullen sighed and nodded. "Fine, but stay close."_

 _Thea nodded and followed Cullen and his men up the trail and stood looking on in horror when they reached the Temple. "Maker help us all..." She said, seeing the destruction left behind, the ruins of the temple. "Lyrica..."_

 _"Spread out!" Cullen ordered. "Search for any survivors!" He stepped over to Thea and put an arm on her shoulder. "We'll find her, I promise."_

 _"I promised her that she'd be fine..." Thea said, mostly to herself. She shook her head and looked to Cullen. "We need to spread out. I'll send you a signal if I find her or anyone else."_

 _Cullen nodded and the search began. "Let there be anyone. Maker let there be someone who survived this."_

* * *

 _Hours went by and they found no survivors, only corpses twisted and corrupted by red lyrium. Cullen stood with his men and Thea as they waited for Sister Leliana and Seeker Cassandra Pentaghast to send more men to investigate the ruins of the Temple further, to try and discover what happened to cause the explosion.  
_

 _Thea was silent, her face ashen as she tried to process the fact that her best friend may be dead, and Cullen wanted to comfort her, but what could he say?_

 _A crackling sounded behind them and they turned to see a glowing green rift open just above the ground. Everyone's eyes widened when they saw someone fall out of the rift, the white glowing figure of a woman behind them. The rift closed as quickly as it had opened and the men began to approach cautiously._

 _"Lyrica!"_

 _Cullen watched as Thea rushed forward, falling to her knees at her friend's side, pulling her into her lap. Then he saw the sparking green mark on Lyrica's hand and sensed the same kind of magik he had when the explosion occurred and the Breach had opened in the sky. 'She didn't have that mark before...' he noted to himself._

 _"Chickadee... What happened..?" Thea asked, not expecting Lyrica to answer her. She looked up as Cullen came over and knelt down. "She's going to be alright, isn't she?"_

 _Cullen looked at her and back down at Lyrica. "I don't know, Thea, but she is the only survivor. That means that everyone, even the Divine herself, is dead and Lyrica Trevelyan is the only one that knows what happened. We need to get her back to the village, we need to question her about the events leading up to this disaster."_

 _Thea nodded and let Cullen take Lyrica in his arms. Standing with him, she watched as he started heading back down the trail towards the village and she took one last look around as he issued his orders to the men. "What caused all this destruction? What gave Lyrica that mark?" She shook her head and hurried to catch up to Cullen, hoping that Lyrica could indeed give them the answers they needed._


	2. Chapter 2

_**Several weeks later...**_

Lyrica walked around the village of Haven, saying hello to the traders, the merchants, the healers, the villagers, anyone really she passed along the way. She needed a moment to get away from the politics of it all, having been dragged into peace talk discussions with Josephine. She didn't mind, but politics were never her thing. Her mother and father loved politics and would have gotten a huge kick out of helping her and the Inquisition, but she was glad they were so far away in Ostwick, away from all the chaos in Ferelden.

Humming to herself, Lyrica made her way to the stables where her mare Serena- a Free Marches Ranger- was waiting for her. Smiling to Master Dennet as he handed her the reins, Lyrica hopped into the saddle and headed towards her favourite trail- one that looped around the entirety of the village of Haven, including the lake. She passed by the training camp, glaring at and ignoring Cullen when he looked up and raised a hand in greeting, and urged Serena into a trot.

Over the last several weeks since Lyrica had attended the Conclave, survived the explosion that killed everyone attending including the Divine herself, fallen out of a rift and named the Herald of Andraste, she had grown quite a bit as a person and as a mage. She had proven herself to many people that she was not a monster, that she was their protector, their beacon of hope, their symbol of faith restored. It was nearing the time where she was planning on taking the nobles to Therinfal Redoubt to ask for the Templars' aid against the Breach, hoping that with such a large number of "important" people at her side the Lord Seeker would reconsider and ally with the Inquisition. But that was still a few days time and she still had things to prepare for.

"What am I to do, Serena?" Lyrica asked, reaching down to rub the mare's neck as they came around the bend of the trail and started up the hill. "We all agreed to seek out the Templars' aid, not the mages', and yet I feel so uneasy..."

Serena snorted and bobbed her head up and down, shaking her mane.

Lyrica giggled. "It would have been easier to go with the mages, huh?" She looked up at the Breach as Serena came to a standstill. "But I am certain that a mage did this... I am certain that a mage caused the explosion and the Breach, killed the Divine, and cursed me with this mark." She looked down at her hand and watched with sadness as the glowing mark sparked green as she removed her glove. "This thing is slowly killing me and I don't think that there is a way to stop it..." She sighed and replaced her glove and grasped the reins before urging Serena onwards down the trail. "Come on, girl, let's finish our walk."

* * *

The sound of hooves crunching through the snow had grabbed Cullen's attention and he looked up to see Lyrica taking Serena on their usual walk through the village grounds. He raised a hand in greeting, but Lyrica ignored him completely and urged Serena into a trot.

"Commander, what did you do to piss off the Herald?" Rylen said, looking at him.

"What makes you think it was me?" Cullen asked defensively as he looked at his second in command.

"When a woman looks at you with scornful disdain, you are the reason for her mood." Rylen chuckled. "My sister was like that all the time with the men who tried to court her. They always did something to piss her off, one way or another, and she would give them that very look."

Cullen sighed and handed him the reports. "These are the reports that I need you to fill out. Have them to Lady Cassandra as soon as they are finished."

Rylen nodded. "Of course, ser. And don't worry, they never stay mad for too long once you figure out how to fix it."

Cullen watched his second in command turn away and return to his tent to finish the reports and he sighed. 'Maker, did I do something to upset the Herald?' Shaking his head, he headed for the tavern- in desperate need for a drink.

* * *

Once they had returned to the stables, Lyrica removed Serena's gear and gave her a good brushing before heading to the tavern for a drink. She wanted to drown out her own thoughts with the sound of drunken patrons and she wanted nothing more than to down a few pints of hot spiced ale.

The warm rush of alcohol infused air billowed out of the tavern as she opened the door, smiling when the patrons- her friends and men- raised their mugs in greeting. Lyrica made her way to the bar and waved over the tavern keeper, Horace. "Your biggest mug of spiced ale."

Horace smiled and nodded, handing her a mug nearly the size of the Iron Bull's.

Lyrica took out her coin purse to pay for the drink but Horace shook his head.

"Compliments of the Commander." the tavern keeper said, gesturing to where the Commander was seated, nursing his own mug of ale.

Lyrica smiled and thanked him, taking her mug through the crowd and over to the table where Cullen sat. "I suppose I should thank you for the drink, Commander." She said once she got his attention.

Cullen looked up and saw the large mug in her hand. "You're quite welcome, Herald. Would you care to join me?" He asked, gesturing to a seat across from him. He wanted to make amends for whatever he had done to piss her off so much.

Lyrica thought a moment and decided it would be better than to be rude and decline- especially after she ignored his greeting earlier. Truthfully, she hated the way he looked at her, the way he treated her like she was some ignorant child who needed to be kept in line. He still very clearly had Templar status in his walk, the way he commanded his men, the way he bossed her around like he was in charge. And yet, she found it strangely endearing, which annoyed her to no end. She couldn't discern what it was about him that either infuriated her or made her heart race and her chest ache, but they needed to work together so she decided to try and put petty things aside. "Sure, why not?" she sighed, finally agreeing to his offer.

Cullen sat back in the booth seat as Lyrica sat across from him, taking a big swig of ale. He watched her over the rim of his mug and smirked when she let out a satisfied sigh.

"What?" She asked defensively.

Cullen shrugged. "It's unusual to see you so relaxed. You're always so focused on the task at hand or so tense around people that you look as though you'll burst from the stress and pressure."

Lyrica raised an eyebrow at that. "Oh? And is that a bad thing?" She studied his face, trying to gauge his reactions. "Is there something wrong with wanting to focus on the important things? Is there something wrong with being cautious and a bit paranoid when half the people I try to protect still think I'm to blame for the Conclave and the Divine's death?"

Cullen shook his head. "Not at all." He sighed and took another drink, clearly hitting a nerve. 'Now I begin to see where her mind is at...'

Lyrica took another swig and sat against the wall, one leg stretched out along the bench while the other was bent at the knee as her arm came to rest on it. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes, letting the sounds of the tavern drown out everything else in her head. 'No more distractions...'

Cullen looked at her, seeing her relaxing as the alcohol went through her system. She seemed serene, innocent even as she sat there with her head back- the silver strands sliding over her shoulder. Then he remembered what Rylen had said earlier and took a swig before he asked, "Is everything alright, Herald?"

Lyrica looked over at him, seeing him nonchalantly leaning back against the booth seat with one arm resting along the railing as he looked at her over his mug. "Why do you want to know?"

Cullen shrugged. "It's my duty as your Commander and as your advisor to take your well-being into consideration. You seem distracted, unnerved."

Lyrica sighed and looked away, her eyes focusing on her mug of ale. Taking a swig, she looked into the amber gold steaming liquid and thought about her answer carefully. "I'm fine, Commander. To be honest, aside from the duty I have as the Herald of Andraste, the duty I have as a Trevelyan, half of our people hating me because I am a mage, and my not knowing what in the Fade to do with myself half the time, I'm just worried that we're making a mistake asking the Templars' for aid."

Cullen raised an eyebrow at the statement, waiting for her to finish drinking before continuing. "What has you worried?"

Lyrica looked at him. "You see how many people still hate me simply for being a mage. You see how many people still don't trust me simply for being a mage. You know what I have to go through in order to prove myself to thousands of people every day, to gain their trust, their loyalty, their faith. The Lord Seeker rejected us once, whose to say he won't do it again? Even with a host of nobles at my side?" She looked away, focusing on the now empty mug before her. She set it on the table and scooted out of her seat, standing. "Forget it... It's just a stupid worry from a mage to a Templar..." She started to walk away, heading for the door.

Cullen finished his drink and followed her out, hurrying forward to catch up to her. "Herald, wait."

"What is it?"

"Your worry is not stupid, nor is it baseless. Yes, the tensions between mages and Templars are high, and yes there are a lot of people who don't trust you because you are a mage, but you have proven them wrong so many times. You've proven _**me**_ wrong several times."

Lyrica scoffed at that. "Right, then why do you treat me like a child?" She stopped and looked at him. "Why do you still act like you're a Circle Templar guarding his mage charge?"

Cullen looked at her, confused. "I-I do not."

"Yes, Cullen, you do and guess what? I'm not a child, nor am I a Circle mage any longer and nor are you a Templar any longer. That part of our lives is in the past. This is the Inquisition. This whole business of saving the world... It's bigger than us, than the Inquisition. You need to realize that and start treating me like an equal."

Cullen stood there dumbfounded as Lyrica walked away, disappearing into the Chantry. Behind him, Varric came up and snickered. "What?"

"You have a lot to learn, Curly." the dwarf said, shaking his head. "Chickadee is a good kid, young but wise beyond her years. She's twenty-three, has her whole life ahead of her, and yet she is constantly in the face of danger with an ever so useful and cursed mark upon her hand that is slowly killing her. She strives every day to prove herself to everyone, to rise up to what everyone makes her out to be, and all the while she's actually only worried about failing."

"Failing?"

"She's worried she'll fail the people of Haven, the Inquisition, her friends, her family..." Varric looked up at him. "She's worried she'll fail you."

Cullen looked at him confused. "But she hasn't failed."

"So make sure that she understands that. You are one of her advisors, but more importantly to her you were once a Templar. While she fights to bring balance between mages and Templars, she looks to you for guidance- whether you realize it or not. But all she sees is the Circle Templar who plays watch dog over her every move, her every thought and action, every breath she takes. She sees the never relenting and commanding nature of a Templar instead of her Commander. She's right, you know." Varric looked up at the sky. "This whole saving the world thing is bigger than all of us and if the Maker is making a joke out of it all, there better be a damn good punchline." He looked back over at Cullen. "Relax, Curly. Lyrica Trevelyan has never been the type to disrespect authority. In fact, she's always strived to maintain and preserve authority. I've known her a long time now, so trust me. Take a step back from the fact that she's a mage and focus on helping her develop into the Herald she is meant to be."

Cullen stood there and pondered the dwarf's words as he returned to the tavern. Sighing, he realized that the dwarf was right. He didn't mean to treat Lyrica like a child, but he had to be cautious and objective nonetheless because she was a mage. With the Breach open and rifts appearing everywhere, Lyrica was subject to possession just as any other mages were. 'I should speak with her once she's calmed down.' Deciding to turn in for the night, Cullen headed towards the Chantry.


	3. Chapter 3

**3 days later...**

Lyrica woke with a start, having had a terrible nightmare about Thea's caravan being attacked by demons along the northern roads of the Hinterlands. She looked around, realizing that it was just a dream and slowly got out of bed. Needing a bit of fresh air to clear her head, she pulled on her cloak and boots and headed out the door to step outside of the Chantry. She just wanted a moment, but she stopped when she passed by Cullen's door- hearing him thrashing in his sleep, calling out to someone.

She opened the door and went inside, closing it behind her before she went to his side to try and calm him. After everything he had seen as a Circle Templar, the nightmares didn't surprise her. Like her own- which almost seemed like visions of the future and the different outcomes- Cullen's nightmares haunted him every night. This wasn't the first time she had come in to try and calm him; she had done so for nearly as long as she had been named Herald. Going to his bed, she sat on the edge and put her fingers to his temples, slowly pouring healing magik into his head as she massaged his temples. His thrashing subsided for a moment and she thought she was done, but then something in his dream caused him to thrash again- this time causing him to grab the dagger he kept under his pillow and lash out at Lyrica, waking with a dazed start.

Lyrica winced and bit back a cry as his dagger cut into her forearm, cutting her deeply. She stood and looked at Cullen, seeing that he was dazed and wasn't sure that he was awake or not, so she hurried out of his room and closed the door behind her, trying to stop the bleeding as she hurried outside.

* * *

Cullen had woken from a nightmare yet again as he had for months and when he finally realized that he was awake, he looked down to see that he had drawn his dagger. "Maker's breath..!" He saw the blood glistening on the blade, then heard the door click shut. Someone had just left his room. Jumping out of bed, he looked out into the hall and saw a small trail of blood leading out of the Chantry. Thinking it to be an intruder, he followed the trail down the main hall of the Chantry and outside where the trail turned left and towards the apothecary.

Hearing a rustling inside, he threw open the door and stopped when he saw who he thought the intruder was. "Herald?"

Lyrica had been trying to find one of Adan's salves to stem the bleeding of the gash so she could heal the wound properly when the door burst open and a disheveled Cullen came through. She looked at him, trying to hide her arm from him. "Is everything alright, Commander? You look like you were just on the hunt or something."

"I woke up to find that I had drawn my dagger in my sleep, but then I saw blood on the blade and thought it to be an intruder. There was a small trail of blood leading out of the Chantry and I followed it here." He took one of the cloths on the table just inside and wiped the blade clean, then looked up at Lyrica. "Curious that I find you here, rummaging through the apothecary."

Lyrica grabbed a cloth and tried to wrap her arm with her back turned to the Commander. "Everything is fine, Commander. I was just having a hard time sleeping, so I was looking for the potion Adan has been making for you."

Cullen slammed the dagger into the wall and closed the door before he advanced towards Lyrica and grabbed her arm, pulling her around to face him. He saw her arm wrapped and bleeding still and she looked away. "What happened, Herald? Did someone hurt you?"

Lyrica refused to look at him. He was trying to play the concerned father or older brother part to her and she wouldn't have any of it. "I'm fine, Commander."

Cullen reached up and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him even though he already suspected the answer. "Lyrica, what happened? Who hurt you?"

Lyrica met his eyes and stared back into the amber golden pools. "You did, Cullen."

Cullen sighed, his suspicions confirmed, and took her arm into his hands, unwrapping it. "You were in my room then?" He saw Lyrica nod. "Why?"

"Because of your nightmares. You were thrashing in your sleep, calling out to someone. I couldn't just walk by and hear that, completely ignoring it."

Cullen looked at her.

"I tried to calm you, that is it. I used a bit of healing magik to try and lessen the nightmares, as I have for weeks, but when I thought I had tonight you lashed out and cut me."

Cullen pulled away the cloth and grimaced when he saw the gash. It was still bleeding, but not as bad as he assumed it was. "You've come into my room for weeks?"

Lyrica felt herself blush a bit, but she nodded and watched as Cullen took a clean cloth and started to clean the wound. "For nearly as long as I have been Herald, each night my own nightmares wake me. And each night when I get up for some fresh air, I hear you thrash in your sleep and call out." When he was finished, she pulled her arm away and started healing the wound closed. "I sit with you each night, healing your mind little by little, trying to calm you. Tonight is the first time you've lashed out like this."

Cullen watched as the wound closed, leaving no marks behind. "Maker, forgive me Lyrica, I had no idea." He looked up at her and watched her run her hand over her arm.

Lyrica looked up at him and offered him a smile. "It's alright, Cullen." She picked out a vial of purple liquid and handed it to Cullen. "I asked Adan to make this for you, to help you sleep without nightmares. It won't make them stop entirely, but it will lessen the blow."

Cullen took the vial, then looked at her. "Herald, I-"

Lyrica reached up and touched his cheek. "Take it once a night, before you go to sleep. Three drops is all it needs, alone or in tea or in water, anything will suffice." She let her hand drop to her side and she stepped around him, heading for the door. She stopped and looked back at the Commander. "Good night, Cullen. I hope that helps."

Cullen watched her leave, then looked down at the vial. 'She had this made for me?'


End file.
